Warrior Within Quotes

“When I wake up, I can still feel whatever emotion the dream wrung out of me—usually fear—but I can’t recall the specifics. Not that I wake up screaming, or anything that dramatic. Mostly I just awake with a start, stare around in disorientation for a few seconds, and then reality takes hold and I relax.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“When I wake up, I can still feel whatever emotion the dream wrung out of me—usually fear—but I can’t recall the specifics.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“I leaned back in my chair when I had finished, and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to respond. He kept me waiting a long time, long enough that I started to wonder if he was going to speak at all. I got the feeling that Apache patience operated on a scale of geological proportions—far in excess of what most white men could manage.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“I didn’t dream that night, but dreams are patient things. They are always there, silent, waiting, and unswayable in their determination to tear at our minds with their claws. And dreams, much like hangovers, don’t create themselves, but are a function of consequence, created by our own folly, hubris, and cowardice in the face of our darker natures.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“Victory and glory are all well and good until the blood on your hands belongs to you or someone that you care about. When that happens, you realize just how dangerous of a game you’re playing when you take up arms against a determined enemy.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“learned that yet? How”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“Whatever the event, through any tragedy, the survivors always find a way to carry on.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“If life in the Army was always this intense, it was a wonder that soldiers didn’t have nervous breakdowns every couple of years.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“Now we came out, and once more we saw the stars.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“In the darkness, and the silences, and the spaces between. When we got nothing else to do but listen to the howling of our own souls. And”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“he was a fanatic. A convert. A zealot. There is no arguing with people like that, no reasoning with them. They’re going to believe whatever they want to believe, and nothing you say is going to make a damned bit of difference. I”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“The Legion troops began cheering and chanting. “Fight, fight, fight, fight …” I thought, This isn’t an army. It’s fucking junior high.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“had to keep my head down to conceal a smile. I survived, I thought. I’m still alive.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“I began to see signs of the large predator following me again.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“move toward my next destination, and try not to get myself killed. Lather, rinse, repeat. It”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“Never underestimate the power of stupidity.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“up ahead Gabe held up a fist. He flattened his hand, lowered it slowly toward the ground, and then moved it forward. Turning”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“stay quiet, keep your heads on a swivel, and when the shooting starts, stay in your lane. Let’s”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“Like most of the colossal fuck-ups I’ve made in my life, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. My”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“had a face like a cinder block, all square lines and blunt angles.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“From his expression, one would think that I had just pissed on his children.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“Sanchez, you work your way nice and quiet about twenty-five paces that way from my position.” He pointed to a spot on the ridgeline. “Stay low, and for God’s sake, don’t skyline yourself. Eric, you take the other side. I’m going to count to sixty, and then I’m going to fire a rocket at that machine gun. When it hits, you two use the distraction to start taking out those six raiders. If you can, wound a couple so we can take them prisoner. Any more show up, give them the same treatment. We have to hold this ridge until Grabovsky gets here with reinforcements. And don’t forget, all this noise is going to draw the infected, so don’t waste ammo. Make ’em count; we might have to shoot our way out of here. Everybody clear?” We all gave an affirmative and moved into position.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within

“cutting into exposed skin and grabbing words and laughter from people’s lips before they could reach their intended ears.”
― James N. Cook, Warrior Within